The present invention relates generally to the field of source code management, and more particularly to source code version control and ownership management.
Generally speaking, computer software source code is any collection of computer instructions written using a human-readable computer language. Source code can be organized in a wide variety of ways, including, for example, by “functions.” Typically, the term “function” refers to a sequence of computer instructions adapted to perform a specific task (and is sometimes also referred to as a procedure, subroutine, routine, method, subprogram, and/or callable unit). As used herein, a function (also referred to as a “functional component”) is any set of source code that has been grouped for a particular purpose (for additional examples, see the Definitions sub-section of the Detailed Description).
Version control is known. Version control is the management of changes to documents, computer programs, websites, and other collections of information. In computer software development, version control is the practice of tracking and providing control over changes to source code.
Version control software can be essential for the organization of large, multi-developer software development projects. With typical version control software, each code revision includes a timestamp and an identification of the person who made the change (the “owner” or “contributor”). As such, if a particular piece of code needs to be revised, explained, and/or understood, users are able to identify and contact the person who most recently changed the code.